The journal of Abigail Duford
by GoonieGirl
Summary: 13 year old Abigail lives in 2010 and has never wished it any other way. One day she is told to clean the attic and everything changes when she finds the journal of a long forgotten ansestor. Abigail Duford.
1. Chapter 1

~January 21, 2010~

"Abigail, this is the last time I'm going to tell you to clean this attic!" a voice interrupted my thoughts. I groaned as I threw down my pen. I would probably never be a author if Grandma kept bring me back to this world. I have always been good at writing.

At age seven I decided to make up a story about where my parents were. It was my way of making up for them I guess. They died in a car accident when I was only a baby.

At times like these I wish someone had dumped me in a orphanage.

"Abigail…" I heard her ratty old woman voice start again.

"Coming" I called as I walked down the stairs. There was Grandma Lydia. She was at the bottom of the steps tapping her foot impatiently like she always does when she's waiting for me.

Her big green eyes flared. One thing I had inherited. Her hair once brownish gold like mine was now completely gray. She must have been pretty in her youth.

If she ever had one. Great grandma when she was alive wasn't much for children. If I have anything to be thankful for it's that I wasn't placed in her care.

"Now remember don't break anything. Simply dust with the duster and don't ever look into the big green box." Grandma Lydia reminded me as she pulled down on the string that opened the attic door.

The ladder came crashing down barely missing my head.

"Oh, and remember watch that ladder when you come down. Your Great Grandmother died from that you know." I sighed as I climbed up throwing up the duster.

She always said the same things every time.

Why my great grandmother had tried to get into the attic was a mystery to us all. There was nothing up there. I should know I've been up there once a week every week. Same old dust. Same old musty books that hadn't been opened since who knows when. Same old musty smell.

I was away with Grandma Lydia when it happened. We had been out shopping which if I haven't mentioned is one of my least favorite things to do.

I had begged that day to stay with Great Grandma. Yeah, I know I would rather spend a day with my Great Grandmother than go shopping.

We found her dead by the time we got home. Another mystery that had puzzled me as a child was why I couldn't open the big green trunk.

It's just a trunk. Every time I was up there I would be tempted by it. Today was the same as usual.

I had learned if I kept my eyes on dusting the walls I could get out of there without ever looking at it.

Today though I tried I couldn't bring myself to look at the walls. All my eyes saw was the green trunk.

Suddenly, my feet immediately took me to the trunk. My hand shot forward and touched it. I looked at my hands. It was almost like I couldn't control them. _**Almost. **_

I looked back towards the attic door. Grandma would never know if I looked through it. She never came up here anyways.

I shrugged as I unlashed the two locks on the sides. They opened immediately like magic. My whole body shook with excitement. I lifted the lid to reveal… books.

I sighed in disappointment. Not that I didn't love books but according to me anything that looks like it's from the time of Cave men isn't worth reading.

But something was pulling toward these books. Telling myself that there must be some reason Grandma Lydia didn't want me to see them.

I picked up the first book I saw. I gently blew the dust off it so I could see the cover. It was smooth clean leather. There was something scrawled at the bottom.

Curious I held it towards the window. The only source of light in the attic.

"The Journal of Abigail Duford" I whispered. That's a weird name I thought as I closed the lid to the box and sat on it. Now I was interested.

Who in the world is this person? Is she related to me? Why are her things in my attic? I quickly thumbed through the pages till I found one I thought would be interesting.

_**Dear Journal,**_

_**Everyone says I'm a hero. I don't know why everyone's making a big fuss all I did was help a girl and her brother. **_

_**The girl had been choking on her meat that she had eaten only moments before in the town restaurant.**_

_**I recognized them as the children in the Cooper family.**_

_**I knew them because I had often helped their mother the midwife sometimes. **_

_**I didn't know them personally. They just would come and go as I helped their mother. I didn't think they liked their mother's profession. **_

_**Especially the youngest of the three children. After I came out of the birthing room once the boy asked me how I could stand the screaming. His older brother told me not to pay attention to him.**_

_**But I told the little boy that my mother had died giving birth and screamed much louder so it didn't bother me. He was in awe. **_

_**Anyway, **_

_**I had been on my way to taking Anna and Maude to school when it happened. **_

_**The older Cooper boy ran out of the restaurant carrying his sister as soon as I passed by. **_

"_**Please help her she's choking" he told me. My Ma had often skilled me on what to do in these situations. Many times Anna or Maude would get one thing or other stuck in their throat. **_

_**I simply yelled at the boy to get his wagon so he wouldn't have to see what I was going to do. **_

_**I know the first time I saw Ma doing it to Maude I was positive she was killing her. I told the girl to hold onto the hitching post and don't let go no matter what.**_

_**I grabbed her waistline roughly twice before all that she had eaten that day came up. Including the piece of meat. **_

_**The boy came back with the wagon hitched right after the girl was better. He was shocked at what had transpired since he left. **_

_**I told him it was still best that he got her to his mother. He nodded his head and drove the wagon to his house. I comforted the girl in the back of it.**_

_**Their mother was shocked at what happened and thanked me graciously. She said she must repay me.**_

_**I smiled and told her that she already had. She had employed me as a second midwife and that was good enough for me. **_

_**Before I left the littlest boy that had not been there asked me a question that made me smile. **_

"_**Are you Colleen's guardian angel?" I bent down to his height. **_

"_**No, I'm not anyone's guardian angel. I just love helping people. And if any of you need any help again just tell me" I looked at the older boy when I said the last bit. **_

_**I headed home after that explaining to Pa why I was late. By then it had gotten all around town anyway. Pa said I did good like ma. I know she's proud of me. I now must blow out the candle. **_

_**Love, **_

_**Abigail Duford **_

"Abigail, are you finished up there!" Grandma Lydia yelled.

"Yes, Grandma!" I cried jumping up. I gently closed the lid but not before I noticed something.

Another book different than the others. Pictures were leaking out of it. I hugged it to my chest along with the journal and went to my room.

R/R Tell me what you think! This will get more into Doctor Quinn soon! Plus it will end up going into the past. Into Doctor Quinn. If you have any questions about who this Abigail Duford is I will be happy to answer. But all (actually only some) will be revealed in the next chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: Hey everyone I just realized something. This story is going to end up being a mystery. Abigail's gonna find out why no one told her about Abigail Duford. And why her Great grandmother died trying to get into the attic. But it will also be a adventure story. For she will go back in time accidentally messing up Matthew and Abigail falling in love. And risking her own existence. Kind of like the back to the future plot kind of think of it. If you haven't noticed all my stories lean toward the time travel idea. Maybe someday I'll write a story not on time travel. Though not likely! Enjoy time travel lovers and welcome guests to my world. As I have said enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Quinn medicine woman. Nor any of the characters. I'm just a middle school student writing for laughs and her readers. I own Grandma Lydia and Abigail and Abigail Duford and I would own Abigail's great grandmother if she hadn't already died trying to open the attic door. (Just kidding!)

I just made a discovery. No matter how much I wanted to go hole up in my room after Dinner and see what was in the other book. Grandma Lydia made me wash the dishes.

This job was given to me as soon as I could hold a dish. You don't know how much I wished I never learned. As usual I told Grandma Lydia that I had tons of homework.

But as usual that didn't work. She simply said what she said every night.

"Then I guess you'll have to get started"

She always inspects the all the dishes after I do them because I often just throw them in the water then dry them.

I was getting really annoyed that she had handed me all 15 of her china dishes 3 times. I threw one of the dishes into the water about to scream about how unfair it was when I realized something.

Engraved on the back of the china dishes were the words _Mrs. Abigail and Matthew Cooper._

I was shocked. Is Abigail Duford and Abigail Cooper one in the same? Suddenly, I had a idea. I finished the dishes quickly and headed to my room.

I immediately sat down in front of my computer, woke it up from it's well rested sleep and logged onto the internet. I headed to Google and typed in one name.

Abigail Duford. 90 sites popped up. "That's weird" I told myself as I searched for the site I wanted. I had expected to get nothing at all.

"Wikipedia" I whispered as I clicked on the link. I know people think Wikipedia isn't reliable. But I completely disagree. It popped up and I began to read…

_Abigail Lydia Duford was born in 1867. She was the first of three children. Her mother was one of the first women doctors back then. _

_Dr. Duford they called her. Her father was the local pastor. David Duford. Abigail often was in charge her two sisters Anna and Maude._

_She helped her mother in the doctor clinic until her mother's death in 1889. Her mother died of a rattlesnake bite. Abigail was with her till the end rummaging through books for any possible cure. _

_Directly after her mother died Abigail found a job with the local midwife. Mrs. Cooper. Fore her mother's clinic was shut down. _

_She did well and prospered there though she often got queasy around blood. Our records show one day she saved the Cooper family's second eldest child. _

_From that day forward she became a hero to many. A new doctor from Boston (where her mother had studied to become a doctor) arrived that Spring. Another woman doctor named Doctor Quinn. _

_But sadly that very Spring Mrs. Cooper died of the same thing that her mother had. A rattlesnake bite. Abigail Duford and the Cooper children were with her when she died as was the new doctor. _

_With Mrs. Cooper's last breath she gave the Cooper children over to Dr. Quinn. This was a upsetting fact for the Cooper children. _

_Especially the oldest who had taken a liking to Abigail. _

_Abigail married Matthew Cooper. Though there is no date as to when they did this. _

_Matthew's brother Bryan had a baby wolf that he raised since birth. Some time after they were married and Abigail was pregnant with their first child the wolf got bit by a raccoon._

_Coming in contact with Rabies. Dr. Quinn and her new husband Byron or Sully kept the dog off in a section of their barn waiting to see if he had the symptoms of Rabies. _

_Bryan stayed in the barn with the wolf 24/7. This worried Abigail who had known Bryan never to get this sad. A couple days later the wolf spilt his water dish. _

_Abigail wanting to be helpful with the help of Bryan refilled his water bucket. As has been stated the wolf had come in contact with Rabies. _

_It bit Abigail causing for her to lose the baby. This forced a wedge between Abigail and Matthew which was only fixed two years later. _

_Surviving Rabies had weakened Abigail's body causing her not to live a normal life. She ended up having three children with Matthew Cooper. _

_Lydia, Abigail, and Matthew. She always said she wanted as many children as the number of corners in the house. _

_She was always said to be sweet and caring, always protective of her children. _

_The rest of the story is a mystery. Some say that she and Matthew divorced which caused the Cooper's to disown her. _

_Some say that she died tragically in a bar fight. _

_Some say she drowned trying to save one of her children. _

_Even more say she and Matthew died simply of old age. _

_But why was it not documented? Everything was documented back then. Why was this not? _

_It is a mystery yet to be solved. Many researchers have tried to crack this case but to no avail. _

_There is a tombstone reading __**Here lies Abigail Duford and Matthew Cooper devoted parents till the end. **__So we know that their deaths had something to do with their children. _

_The only thing is no one is in the grave. Archeologists had gotten permission by Lydia Duford (who changed her last name to Duford for reasons unknown) in 2006 to dig up the remains. They dug all around the grave trying desperately to find any remains. None were found whatsoever. _

_R/R what do you think? All will be revealed at the end. ___


End file.
